Mt. Lemmon Meadow
I found this book on the history of Mt. Lemmon at the Palisades Ranger Station on Mt. Lemmon last summer and have been trying to get time to read it ever since. The complete title is: Look to the Mountains: An in-depth look into the lives and times of the people who shaped the history of the Catalina Mountains.
Visitors to Southern Arizona are often amazed by our “Sky Islands”; tall mountains rising suddenly and majestically out of our flat desert lowlands. Several of Arizona’s major observatories are located atop Sky Island peaks. Southern Arizona’s 7 Sky Islands are the mountains ranges named Baboquivari, Whetstone, Chiricahua, Huachuca, Pinaleño, Santa Catalina Mountains, and Santa Rita. The tallest of these is 10,720′ Mt. Graham in the Pinaleño Mountains above Safford and the Gila River.
Mt. Lemmon as viewed from our pool on the desert floor 7,000 feet below the summit.
Mt. Lemmon, tallest peak in the Santa Catalina Sky Island, has a unique history. Few people realize what a special place Mt. Lemmon is, aside from the allure of a cool summer escape. From ancient paleo-Indians 4,000 years ago, to the complex Hohokam culture a thousand years ago, to the Spaniards of the 1542 Coronado Expedition, to the Apaches and 19th century Mexican and Anglo-American pioneers of Arizona’s Territorial Period, to the residents of a 21st-century metropolis, Mt. Lemmon (9,159′) and the Catalina Mountains on Tucson’s northern periphery have been exploited and enjoyed by many peoples seeking woodland resources and a respite from the scorching desert floor.
Look to the Mountains was written by long-time local resident, Suzanne Hensel. It was twelve years in the making and was published by Mt. Lemmon Woman’s Club in 2006. Every one of the chapters in this book is a story in itself, full of anecdotes, history, and the very personal lives of the people who were here before us.
Read More Chapter 1 summarizes the beginnings of human occupation of Mt. Lemmon, then the use of the area by Apaches and the military from Ft. Lowell.
Chapter 2 covers the first pioneers to this area and the search for gold on the north side of the mountain. There are several stories in this chapter that I did not know, including the legend of the Mine with the Iron Door, presumably the same door that the restaurant at the top of the mountain is named after. Many names are dropped in this book, names that are familiar, but whose history was unknown to me until reading this book: Canada del Oro, Salpointe, Romero, Oracle, and Peppersauce are all referenced. If you ever wondered about the origin of many of the names used around Tucson, this book would be an excellent resource. We have all heard of Sam Hughes, but do you know who Bob Leatherwood, or E.O.Stratton or Louis Zeckendorf were? All of these men were pioneers in the mining days of Mt. Lemmon. Did you know that Buffalo Bill Cody owned a piece of the Campo Bonito Mining Company near Oracle.
Botanists John & Sara Lemmon.
Chapter 3 is all about the person that Mt. Lemmon is named after. Nope, not a guy; Sara Lemmon, a botanist. Have you ever wondered how Summerhaven Village came into being? Summerhaven is the community near the top of the mountain, surrounded by public land that was decimated in the Aspen fire of 2003. It was “patented” in 1910, by Frank Weber with the help of the Homestead Act.
Chapter 4 is about homesteading on and around the mountain, notably the Steam Pump Ranch of Oro Valley and the Romero Ranch, which eventually became Catalina State Park. Did you know that the CCC created Romero Pools while blasting for a trail for a fire access route? We learn that the Bighorn sheep population in the Catalinas was dwindling as early as 1938 and that Catalina State Park almost became a housing development.
In Chapter 5 Henzel writes about how the Catalinas became the Coronado National Forest under Teddy Roosevelt in 1908. Chapters 6 and 7 are about life in Soldier Camp and Summerhaven in the early 1900’s. Soldier Camp lies where the Aspen Trail begins, weaving through the Government leased housing and on to Marshall Gulch, not far from where the Aspen fire started. It is a short hike to Summerhaven from here starting at the Sunset Trailhead near the camp.
Catalina Highway from Tucson To Mt. Lemmon.
For years, the only way up to Mt. Lemmon was through Oracle and the route from the North. Few people these days have traveled the route up the north face. A high-clearance vehicle is recommended. In this book, Henzel refers to the Catalina Highway by its official name the Hitchcock Highway comprising Chapter 8 of this book.
Near the base of the mountain is a campground. In 1999, it was renamed the Gordon Hirabayashi Recreation Site.
Some of the prison camp ruins today.
Mr. Hirabayashi’s story is one of the most amazing of the many we have discovered since starting Southern Arizona Guide in 2011.
This is the former site of the prison camp from which Federal prisoners built the scenic Catalina Highway in cooperation with the Bureau of Public Roads. Many pictures and anecdotes are on these pages. A plaque dedicated to General Frank Harris Hitchcock is at Windy Point. It is useful to note that the term “General” in those days did not refer to a military title but an honorarium. He had been postmaster general of the United States. His is an interesting story. Near mile 12 is a very nice campground also dedicated to this man who was so instrumental in making this road a reality. The road was completed in 1951 and later paved and widened from 22 to 28 ft. It is still in good shape today.
Control Road To Mt. Lemmon. The original road was not wide enough for two cars to pass. So there were times of the day when you could only drive up and other times when you could only drive down.
More history of Summerhaven and Ski Valley is covered in Chapters 9 and 10. These pay special attention to the people who made Summerhaven happen and the struggles of The Lodge that was built in the 50s; now the Iron Door Restaurant. The Iron Door is one of our favorites. Think excellent chili and cornbread followed by fresh-baked pie. These chapters have plenty of pictures to illustrate what it looked like in the 1950s and still does today.
Observatories at Sky Center on Mt. Lemmon.
Above Summerhaven and the Ski Valley are the observatories and the Radar Base. It was also built in the 50s to thwart the Russian threat. By the 60s though, it was closed and the University of Arizona became instrumental in re-purposing this site for astronomic ventures. Several observatories were built. Today you can visit the Sky Center and see the stars through one of these telescopes. It is a wonderful worthwhile program. You must make a reservation; and we suggest you dress warmly, even in summer.
Chapter 12 covers Scouting in the Catalinas, Camp Lawton, which is just south of the Palisades Visitors Center off Organization Ridge. There are several other camps on this road as well. The last chapter, of course, brings us up to date, at least to 2006. The addendum has pictures of the Aspen fire in 2003. I vividly remember seeing this fire as I flew from Texas to Burbank that summer. From 30,000′, the blaze was an awesome sight. On the ground it was utter devastation: 85,000 acres of forest and 340 homes and businesses went up in smoke.
Aspen Fire: 2003.
There is so much good information in this book that I can come back to it again and again. One thing I do miss, however, is more maps, so that I might orient myself to the various places mentioned in this wonderful book. If you can find it, read this book. It is thoughtful and personal.
The book was published in 2003 just after the Aspen fire. You may find it in your library, Bookman’s or they may have copies in the Palisades Visitors Center up Mt. Lemon. OR for only $159 you can purchase “Look to the Mountains” on Amazon.
This article was first published in 2014 when there were still plenty of copies available. You may still find one at a reasonable price. Grab it.